Composite panel with double eyelet connectors and method of making the same



D. K. MARTIN ET AL 3,009,597 COMPOSITE PANEL WITH DOUBLE EYELET CONNECTORS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE. SAME Filed July 8, 1957 Nov. 21, 1961 INVENTORJ' DANIEL K MARTIN DANIEL J.MART|N United States Patent'Ofifice 3,009,597 COMPOSITE PANEL WITH DOUBLE EYELET CONNECTORS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 7 Daniel K. Martin and Daniel J. Martin, both of 4033 Louisiana St., San Diego, Calif. Filed July 8, 1957, Ser. No. 670,585 1 Claim. (Cl. 21829) This invention relates generally to composite panels and more particularly to acomposite panel wherein the units thereof are held together by double eyelet connectors and the invention includes the special process or method used in attaching the eyelets.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a panel which will display a desirable degree of rigidity or stability, that is, resistance to deformation in the general plane of the panel, while permitting considerable flexing of the panel in other directions, and co-incidentally permitting the construction of this panel from a plurality of relatively small units of uniform size and shape.

. Another object of this invention is to provide a unique double eyelet connector structure which will facilitate the accomplishment of the first mentioned object, the eyelet assemblies being comprised of conventional eyelets easily available although these eyelets are used in a novel manner. In this connection, it-is important to note that present commercially available eyelets are conventionally constructed with a very small, annular shoulder at the juncture of the head and the shank of the eyelet. In this invention this shoulder is utilized as a seat or abutment onto which one end of the shank of the second eyelet is swaged, thereby efiecting rigid interconnection or clinching without any unsightly splitting of the second eyelet. Further in this connection, this invention envisages the employment of the head of the second eyelet in each connector as a means to cover the segments of the split end of the first eyelet so that these segments are not only covered to improve the appearance of the panel but these same segments are also protected against being individually bent, broken or dislodged from the leather.

Another object, ancillary to the immediately preceding multiple object, is to provide a panel which is aesthetic and highly attractive for construction of various articles such as handbags and other leather accessories.

With these objects definitely in view, along with other objects which will appear hereinafter as this description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions and the method of making a panel, as will be hereinafter described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the drawing forming a part of this disclosure and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a panel constructed according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of the panel, taken on the line 22 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of one of the units of the anel;

p FIGURES 4, and 6 are proposed as illustrating or indicating four principal steps in the method of fabricating the panel: FIGURE 4 indicates the step of providing leather units of the type hereinafter described with apertures which will be made to register for the insertion thereinto of the eyelet connector; FIGURE 5 indicates the step of swaging the first eyelet; FIGURE 6 indicates the step of insertion of the second eyelet from the reverse side of the panel;

FIGURE 7 illustrates the final step of swaging one end of the shank of the second eyelet onto a shoulder at the juncture of the head and shank of the first eyelet.

Similar characters of reference indicatesimilar or iden- 16, it being understood that the inner unit 16 at such alocation will constitute an outer unit at an adjacent location at the point of connection thereof with other units. This relationship is quite important from a utilitarian viewpoint and it should be carefully noted that the units are arranged in the panel to produce a shingled or downwardly, outwardly, overlapping effect which makes the panel, disposed as indicated in FIGURE 1, not only attractive in appearance but also capable of shedding water at that face of the panel disposed at what should be considered the outward portion.

.Each unit will ordinarily be constructed of a single section ofleather finished on at least one side and generally triangular in plan form although not strictly triangular since each side is slightly bowed outwardly and the corners are rounded. In use, these units are disposed so that the longest side is uppermost.

An eyelet assembly, generally indicated at 18in FIG- URE l, is used to connectthe units at the corners thereof, there being, at least throughout the major portion of every panel, three thicknesses or corners of three different units connected by each eyelet assembly 18. The eyelets Will be referred to herein in the order in which they are applied to the panel.

The first eyelet 20 has a head 22, a hollow shank 24 i and a narrow, annular shoulder 26 at the juncture of the head and shank. When this eyelet is inserted through the units 12, 14 and 16, the end of the shank remote from the head 22 is swaged and will ordinarily be split into segments 28.

I The second eyelet 30 may also be of similar construction, with a head 32, shank 34, although this shank may be slightly shorter than the shank 24. Shank 34 terminates in an inwardly inclined portion 35. If conventionally or commercially available eyelets are used, as is proposed by this invention, the second eyelet 30 will also have a shoulder 36, although this shoulder in the second eyelet has no very important function in the instant invention. The shoulder 26 in the first eyelet has a very definite function, however, which is to receive the swaged end of the shank 34, all as will be more clearly understood upon a consideration of the method of fabrication which will now be described.

The process or method of fabricating this panel includes the principal steps illustrated in FIGURES 4-7, the initial step including the provision of a plurality of identically shaped units such as those indicated at 12, 14 and 16, the perforations of the corners of these units and the alignment of the perforations, as indicated at 40 in FIGURE 4, in preparation for the connection of these same corners by a connector 18, it being understood that this step as well as the succeeding steps must be repeated for each connector 18 in the panel. Obviously certain of the succeeding steps can, however, be carried out for a considerable number of eyelets at one time, whereafter succeeding steps can be carried out for the same eyelets.

The next principal step is the insertion of a first eyelet, as indicated in FIGURE 5, this ordinarily being accomplished by the use of a conventional eyeletting machine provided with an upper mandrel 42 having an arcuate crown or head engaging surface, and a lower mandrel or anvil 44 which should also have an arcuate crown surface as indicated in FIGURE 5. Ordinarily the anvil 44 will have a spring biased eyelet guide pin 46. It should be noted that this first eyelet 20 should be swaged to a considerable extent and will probably always be split into Patented Nov.. 21, 1961 a plurality of segments 28 which grip the unit 16 and prevent the twisting or rotary motion of the unit 16 relative to the eyelet 20 and, since the head 22 grips the unit 12 firmly and the unit 14 is tightly held between the units 12 and 16, this eyelet 20 thus assures considerable rigidity, stability, and resistance against the flexing of the panel in the general plane of the panel.

The eyelet 30 is inserted from the opposite side of the panel, which is shown in FIGURE 6 by a reversal of the units 12-16. Finally, this second eyelet 30 is forced into its final position as indicated in FIGURE 7 and the inclined end 35 of the shank 34 is swaged as indicated at 38, onto the shoulder 26 of the first eyelet. It will be obvious that a neat eyelet assembly is thereby accomplished. It will also now be obvious that the head 32 of the second eyelet covers the segments 28 of the split end of the first eyelet. This not only improves the appearance of this end of the eyelet assembly, which will ordinarily be disposed outwardly of the panel, but will also positively prevent individual segments 28 from being bent, broken, or dislodged, it being recalled that the firm engagement of these segments 28 is very important in securing the desired characteristics of rigidity and antifiexure of the panel in the general plane of the panel. The second eyelet 30 has the swaged end 38 thereof terminating within the first eyelet 20, this swaged end 38 preferably terminating just beyond the shoulder 26 as best shown in FIGURE 2. It should be noted that the length of the eyelets is slightly variable in practice and that the resistance to deformation of the leather units 12-16 also varies so that the swaged end 38 of the eyelet 30 may be well within the head of the first eyelet in some instances, as illustrated in FIGURE 7, but it is always preferable that this swaged end 38 will contact the shoulder 26 of the first eyelet.

Having described our invention and the manner of carrying the same into practice, we desire to point out that the foregoing description and drawing are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting and that minor modifications of both the panel units, eyelet assembly, and

methods may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of this invention as represented by the accompanying claim.

We claim:

The method of constructing a panel from units of sheet material having apertures therethrough, comprising the steps of:

(a) aligning the apertures of units to be secured together;

(b) inserting through the aligned apertures, the shank of a tubular eyelet having a head that is capable of gripping one said unit, said eyelet also having an annular shoulder at the junction of said head and said shank;

(c) swaging the end of the shank of said eyelet to cause the resultant segmented end to grip another unit, whereby the units forming said panel are securely held by said eyelet;

(d) inserting a second eyelet into the hollow shank of said first eyelet in a direction opposite that of said first eyelet;

(e) positioning the head of said second eyelet to cover the segmented end of said first eyelet, whereby the irregular appearance of said segmented end is hidden by the head of said second eyelet; and

(f) swaging the end of said second eyelet against said shoulder of said first eyelet to secure said second eyelet within the shank of said first eyelet without the end of said second eyelet protruding therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 295,593 Thayer Mar. 25, 1884 214,030 Edmands Apr. 8, 1879 775,728 Miller Nov. 22, 1904 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,333 Germany June 24, 1932 208,989 Switzerland June 1, 1940 163,084 Austria May 10, 1949 

